State: No tickets issued for travel ban violations

Published 7:58 pm, Thursday, February 14, 2013

A weekend blizzard in Connecticut surprisingly did not lead to an avalanche of tickets issued to obstinate motorists who dared to disobey the mandatory shutdown of all limited-access highways by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, headlined by Interstate 95, one of the nation's busiest traffic arteries.

A travel ban ordered by Malloy went into effect at 4 p.m. Feb. 8, which also applied to the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways, as well as Interstates 84, 91 and 395.

DOT, public safety and utility company vehicles were exempt from the restrictions, which Malloy extended to all roads in the state on the morning of Feb. 9, as some parts of Connecticut were buried in as many as 40 inches of snow.

"Nobody was pulling any punches. It was made clear that this blizzard was life-threatening to anyone who dared to not listen," said Kevin Nursick, a state DOT spokesman.

The travel ban was lifted at 4 p.m. Feb. 9.

"The vast majority of the motoring public obeyed and heeded the numerous warnings and advisories from state and local officials to stay off the roadways during and even after the event," Nursick said. "Unfortunately, a small percentage did not. There were people on the roads who really had no business being out there."

On state roadways alone, Nursick said there were thousands of incidents such as fender-benders and disabled vehicles, an untold number of them requiring aid from DOT highway crews.

"We're not going to leave someone walking down the middle of a highway as a plow truck goes by in a virtual white-out," Nursick said.

Even though Connecticut receives federal funding for its interstate road network, the governor has the authority to order a travel ban without sign-off from the Federal Highway Administration, according to state and federal officials.

"This was the single worst snow event that the state of Connecticut has seen in 100 years," Nursick said. "If you were out there in those conditions, you were putting your life at risk."